


IM: Immortals Against Mortals

by GREATSHOW



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 22nd Century, Action, Action/Adventure, Angst, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Future, Humor, Political Alliances, Reference to sexual violence, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sex, Slow Burn, Split-brain, Telekinesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2018-12-24 04:37:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12005172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GREATSHOW/pseuds/GREATSHOW
Summary: In a world where immortality has become possible, Earth's resources have significantly dwindled and mortals are treated as second-class citizens and selectively murdered. Kara Danvers and her group of freedom fighters must liberate humankind, or all is lost.Or: Kara and Lena are drawn to each other in a dystopian world where very little hope is present. Drama, angst and mystery ensue.______________________________Kara wasn't sure what type of woman would wear a long-sleeved shirt in this heat, before it was even noon, but she herself and everyone else were wearing slacks, so she figured she didn't have much room to judge in that regard. Whatever Lena Luthor's deal, Kara was not impressed; she'd seen extraordinarily beautiful women before, and they were all the same — a lot of talk and bravado, and very little substance. There was a level of defiance radiating from the woman that managed to pique Kara's interest a little, but not enough. "Like Cat said, let’s get on with it," she stated, moving past Lena without another word.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is...different. Kudos and comments (especially comments) are very much welcomed and appreciated.

* * *

Kara Danvers tossed and turned in bed as images bombarded her mind. The images of death and devastation wouldn't leave her. Wouldn't allow her a moment's peace. Neither would the green eyes and dark hair occasionally superimposed over the chaos. Who did they belong to? Why were they there? She needed answers.

She awoke, sweating profusely, before she could get them. As she sat up and looked around in a resigned state, she prepared for the stark reality of what lie ahead. Moving off the bed and putting on her clothes and strapping into her gear, she quickly sat her handguns on the desk before her, cut on the lamp, and began to write.     

She knew this day would come. Every day had been a foreshadowing leading up to the event. One would have been a fool to think otherwise. But as she furiously scribbled in the dimly lit confines of the tattered room, she wished it was all a dream. An unbelievably horrible dream.

The I.M. war had begun: Immortals against mortals. Kara had never seen such bloodshed, such suffering. It was the first war her generation had ever experienced. She did not even know the date, the year, the day of the week. It was as if weeks didn't exist anymore. Months, years, anything that in the past would have helped to recognize time, had largely become extinct. She now lived in what society called "the age of timelessness," for although they knew what century it was, and could tell time by the sun and the stars, keeping up with it was neither here nor there. No one spoke of what day of the week it was because they simply didn't know. Days and nights bled into each other, becoming phantoms of their former selves.

Being out in the daytime by noon was often painful to the skin, global warming having seemingly done irreparable damage to the Earth. So much so that the only way the sun was tolerable after noon was via heavy clothing, protective suits or force fields. But these facets were a part of nature's decline. The others could only be blamed on one man — the great Dr. Emerald Livanon. The horror, the overpopulation and resulting scarcity of food, the fact that men had now become obsolete to the reproduction process, it was all Livanon. If not for him, the human population would have no doubt dwindled to the millions due to climate change, but his genius enabled him to find the "solution" to aging. And with that knowledge, an innocent teenage girl, now worshiped by billions, was transformed into the first immortal — a regenerative biological being that never seemed to age and could only be killed by few diseases, a vital organ being fatally damaged without enough time to regenerate, or by not getting the nutrients needed to sustain life.

The girl's hostility fascinated many, but, to Kara, her genetic makeup was the thing to question. It was the thing to build a case around. And this is what she would have documented if it had not been for the group of muscular men armed with automatic firearms unlike anything from the 22nd century bustling in through the door before she could.

Kara dropped her pen. And just like that, with the intrusion she had been prepping for, she found herself entrenched in battle. The "tank tops," a name given to them because of their usual chest apparel, which they donned with black slacks similar to her own, weren't anything special. She'd seen what they were about — all show and no skill. They'd always come blasting with barely any coordination on whatever mission assigned to them, and Kara wondered if this was the best an army had to offer in these somber days.

She grabbed the two handguns from her desk and fired just as the men unleashed their rounds. Her golden-bronze bullets seemed to temporarily slow down time, as if they could actually be seen deflecting the group's bullets in a zigzag fashion. Kara knew it was just her imagination, but she'd gotten so used to her handguns' unique ability, and watching them through a second lens, that she swore she'd acquired the power of magnified glass eyes to go along with them. She'd have to settle for her actual glasses, which did the trick just as well. She popped them on, hoping that her bullets, while doing their domino effect, would take down at least a few of the bastards, but they were thwarted by the individual protective force fields that emerged in front of each of the men.

Kara cursed, frustratedly wiping her gloved hand against her brow. The heat was bad enough. She didn't need her weapons to fail her like Mother Nature had failed to give them a reprieve with rain for the past six weeks.

No time to waste, she checked the pouch at her side, stuck her writings in an inside pocket layer of her red, spaghetti-strap shirt, and turned over her desk to duck behind it. It was bullet proof and would do the job for now.

The group of men fired, and Kara rubbed her temples. She didn't like using her jumping boots often. They made her dizzy. But she'd have to pull through yet again. She jumped, her black, red-lined boots binding her to the ceiling, allowing her to hang there. The group's leader waved at his men to stop as they looked up at the blond woman daring to defy them. "Jumping boots... She’s helping Group Biologic!" he declared, as if it were not already abundantly clear. "Fire!"

Kara didn't give them a chance to. She jumped through the window to her right, landing in a kneeling position. "Why didn’t I just jump through the damn window in the first place?" she quipped before jetting down the desolate street of the neighborhood, and taking a turn. In the distance, she heard the leader of the tank tops motion for his soldiers to follow her, and she quickened her pace. Dawn was beginning to break, and she had no intention of being sidetracked.

As Kara ran, her boots malfunctioned, but her mind was on her surroundings. Rarely was a street ever this empty. There were always people. Far too many people.

She took another turn, only to briefly catch a glimpse of the soldiers having caught up to her. It wasn't surprising. Immortals, which is what these men were, had increased speed. Speed was just about the only thing she could see as their strength.

Turning another corner, they passed by a number of emaciated, dirtied people standing by can fires, digging through garbage looking for food, or fighting over scraps. Some were nothing but children. Others were lying on the ground dead. A man looted a corpse. One woman attempted to nurse a baby who was clearly deceased. It was as close to a picture of hell as anything Kara had seen. And what stung worse was that it was highly likely that some of them were immortals, but the immortal regime had no room for them; they were excess. 

Kara grit her teeth. She would change it all. She ducked into an alley as the men fired after her. Taking cover behind a trash can, she fired back. Her bullets did the trick this round, catching the men off-guard, and sending a few of them to their asses due to not raising their force fields in time. The leader got hit only to get back up a few moments later.

Sighing, Kara ceased fire and headed for another street. She climbed down a sewer and pulled the lid over her head to seal herself inside. She heard the men above her. "She went this way!" one of them yelled. As they passed by, Kara dropped down from the ladder into the danky water. She maneuvered her way through the intricate sewer design, taking turn after turn. When she finally reached the tunnel's end, she climbed up another ladder and exited. Six people, a few donning backpacks, were standing by a gate waiting for her.

They looked decent enough, but, except for one, Kara had never met these people in her life. Group Biologic had been formed via word of mouth, letter exchanges and makeshift versions of whatever was left of the Internet. It had been borne out of a desperate need to change the world, to inspire the good people who were left. So many were willing to exchange their honor for food and water, or for a roof over their heads, either for their families or for themselves. This usually meant working as a spy against anyone who opposed the immortal regime or vowing to become immortal themselves and choosing to kill mortals to reduce the population size. Reducing the population size was often a key point of the work, as making people immortal meant that there were far less deaths, and, as a result, far less resources.

This was the fate Dr. Livanon had sentenced them to. He hadn't thought out what repercussions creating the first immortal would have — that if one person was immortal, everyone would want to be immortal.

Group Biologic's mission was to combat the regime's latest solution to resolve the issue of overpopulation: Killing any and all mortals who served no benefit to them. Group Biologic vowed to not only fight this, but to end the science behind immortality, which would no doubt mean the demise of many within the regime, and would add to the culling process to boot.

Kara narrowed her eyes as she briefly scanned the group. She had become acquainted with them via personality alone, and this included a rigorous weeding-out process. First, there was James. And judging by his build and skin color, Kara was certain that the tall dark-skinned man currently staring her down was indeed James Olsen. As a test, he'd been offered a secret home in the Outlier lands, a place where a select few mortals are allowed to live out their days in peace with no threat of famine or death. These people were so chosen because of their excellent health, wealth, genius or other quality separating them from the average folk. The mortals valued them because they represented the best of humankind and all the things humanity could flourish in again. And the immortals saw them as even more valuable since they retained the capability of reproduction. Immortals and everyday mortals were neutered upon birth to help reduce the population size. The Outlier people were never subject to such fate.

Of course, there were the children born outside of the system, escaping any alteration to their bodies and therefore retaining their ability to reproduce, but they were the occasional births, as it was mandatory that all pregnancies be monitored after being discovered. There were tracking devices — bracelets to be worn by the mothers — just for this purpose. The occasional births were not seen as true Outliers, and, as such, nothing to celebrate; they were the equivalent of bastards, nothing more than non-blessed existences because of their unauthorized entrances into the world. Outlier births were the ones to covet. Outlier people were used as bargaining chips by the immortals, should they decide to use any of them for whatever personal need or turn any of them to their cause. Outliers were loved, but they were still few. And James had turned down the opportunity to be one of those lucky few. He'd turned it down three times in a row, in fact, not falling for any tricks that might cast doubt on his trustworthiness. He'd stayed true to his statement of wanting to restore the world. And he eventually became known as the first O — one of the letters forming their group name "Biologic."         

The others had similar stories, but the only two people Kara was overly familiar with were her adoptive sister, Alex Danvers, and the book smart Winn Schott. She'd grown up with Alex, having been adopted by the Danvers family at the age of thirteen. It took time for her to fit in, as all she'd known before that point was training day in and day out to defend herself and to be prepared for the day when the immortals would seek to kill the vast majority of mortal humans. Her parents, with their foresight, had deduced that such a day would come. There was no moving on with what the world was facing in terms of survival, they'd told her.

Back then, her great-grandparents and their parents were living in the immediate aftermath. Her parents were subjected to what was left. The first immortal had been created 120 years before Kara's birth. Ten years later, everyone was becoming immortal, as if it were elective surgery. All it took was Livanon's blueprint and formula for altering one's DNA, and the person was afforded eternal life. Like many things before it, it started with the rich, the ones who could afford to pay, as nations debated the topic of playing God, immorality, and what would happen if the average person was able to access the procedure. Livanon claimed it as a test trial, said he would allow a few to experience immortality and that 120 years would be more than long enough to assess how successful the procedure was. He couldn't simply base his findings on not seeing signs of visible aging, for he would hate to later discover that the people were aging from within while their physical appearance remained unchanged. So he steadily assured everything as a test trial, one that humankind would be better for.

Only it didn't work out like that. Livanon initially based most of his immortality research on the lobster species, bristlecone pine and Dolly the sheep. With the first immortal, he significantly altered the brain of a teenage girl by the name of Eltricia Wright, before later altering her DNA. She had been severely autistic, and her parents had been looking for a cure. They were willing to subject their daughter to new experiments, all in the hopes that she would be their idea of normal, much to the dismay of the girl's aunt, who didn't view autism as a disease and feared that the parents would be doing more harm than good. The girl gained the awareness her parents so desired, but, along with it, came a callousness never before displayed. Livanon didn't know if he'd unlocked the key to understanding psychopaths by inadvertently creating one. All he knew was that, during one of these experiments, he'd additionally taken humankind on another path in regenerative biology. Immortality was possible. All life did not have to die.

With Livanon's growing need for experiments and therefore money to carry out the experiments, he sold the blueprint and formula to a number of reputable scientific companies. Before long, becoming immortal was a part of the mass market. It was also a part of the black market, with illegal and scam procedures plaguing streets by the miles. Trying to police it was like trying to police prostitution. Not long after came the state laws to cull the procedures and even reproduction. This was exacerbated by Livanon promoting what he considered "pure reproduction," which was the creation of a child without male DNA. Livanon had perfected female sperm, making it so that DNA from two women could create a child without male influence. In Livanon's view, this was likely to result in a better human being, without all the aggression and violence more commonly associated with males. To some, this was a gift. A number of men reasoned that if women didn't need men for reproduction, then there was nothing stopping them from going ahead with their wish to be immortal. To others, it was sexism at its worst. To Livanon, it was assurance that he would not make another Eltricia.

Everyone had heard of Eltricia, of course. Of how she had brutally murdered her parents and kid brother one night at the dining table, but people regarded it as a one-off, something more attributable to her autism or the brain tinkering Livanon had done. There were protests that autism doesn't equate to being a murderer, but, as ignorance has always plagued the human race, many didn't bother to listen. Eltricia was found sane at her criminal trial and sentenced to life in prison, but she was broken out sixteen years later, six years after the mass production of immortality began. Termed "the Queen of Sorrows" by the media and outsiders looking in, she'd become viewed as an unfortunate and sympathetic victim of her fate, and was subsequently freed by rogue terrorists who adored her as their symbol of the new world. They saw her as responsible for what they termed their "forever happy lives."

Any attempt to recapture Eltricia was thwarted by more and more people who viewed her as a sort of messiah, the one who had sacrificed her life to make their lives easier, free of diseases such as cancer and the like. People no longer had to say goodbye to their elderly or the sick, and, in their eyes, they owed it all to Eltricia, Queen of Sorrows. Adoration soon turned to worship. And worship soon turned into the immortal regime. Traditional governments fell one by one, riots broke out, battles ensued here and there, and properties toppled with nothing but dust left in their places. The Internet followed after that, becoming known as "ghost net" — tattered remnants that were often aided by so-called data chords and better left to the tech-savvy people who knew how to use them, such as tech men and scientists recruited by the immortal regime. While techs designed infrastructure, the scientists brainstormed the continuation of human life as Earth was undoubtedly dying; they were looking for ways to colonize planets while also keeping an eye on asteroid Bennu, which had a small chance of hitting and devastating Earth late in the century. Everyone was busy with something. And Livanon was all but forgotten.

The destruction left in his wake, however, was felt by everyone.

Kara sighed, thinking of it all. There was no mistaking that they had one hell of a mess to clean up. She readjusted her glasses, turning off their magnifier option, and looked at Winn, the super brains of the group; he'd coordinated this get-together — the first time Group Biologic, widely known as freedom fighters, would meet in person. For two months, they'd acquired quite the name for themselves with coordinated protests and Internet attacks, misleading news reports and word of mouth misinformation about the immortal regime, and by taking part in individual battles where they had to fend for themselves all while leaving their calling card. Even Kara's jumping boots had become representative of the group, as the boots had been pulled off the market many years before due to numerous malfunctioning cases, some of which included accidental deaths. Winn had tweaked the ones she was wearing now, before smuggling them to her, but they still had their flaws.

The team had worked brilliantly together, and their name meant something, but now it was was time to act on a wider scale.

Kara nodded at Winn, who re-adjusted the scabbard on his back. She knew it was him; his toothy grin gave it away. That, and the fact he'd sent her a picture of himself at least ten times. Winn loved to take pictures. "Kara," he said, moving toward her with the intent to hug plastered on his face.

Kara side-stepped him. "No hugs."

Winn appeared to whimper. "Okay, right. And the glasses I designed for you?"

"No small talk either."

"Right." Winn moved in front of the group, gesturing with his hands. "You all know me as G. Not 'G' as in 'I'm a gangsta. I'm gonna blow your top off.' But more as in 'Gee golly, I'm so excited to be a part of this group'." He smiled wide, taking the silence as a thumbs up to continue. "But, you know, I was also thinking maybe 'G' for 'grateful partner.' Or maybe 'G' for --"

Kara cleared her throat; Winn pointed to another, not missing a beat. He had been reading too much 20th and 21st century history lately, particularly the popular culture additions. "This is James Olsen. You know him as the first O," Winn continued. "James here is good with hand-to-hand combat and teaching tactical training. He can also work a camera like nobody's business."

James nodded, one hand on the gun at his left hip and the other at the small axe on his right. Kara didn't mean to come across as bored, but she'd already guessed his identity, and time was precious.

Winn pointed again. "This is Maggie Sawyer. You know her as the letter I."

A dark-haired woman moved beside Alex.

Winn winked. "Along with Alex Danvers, who is known to us as the second O, Maggie excels in detective work. One of the best criminal profilers available."

Kara couldn't place the woman's ethnicity, but there was no doubting the stern look she gave her. It was clear to Kara that this was the girlfriend Alex had mentioned to her in letters. If she were more into her sister's personal life, or rather more in touch with her sister before these last few weeks, she reckoned that she would have met Maggie before now.

"Howdy," Maggie replied in a playful yet serious tone. Alex hugged her closer, then went about testing the force field technology Winn had given them earlier.   

Winn gestured toward a blond, short-haired, middle-aged woman who was busy trimming her nails with a file. "Cat Grant. You know her as --"      

"-- Yes, yes, you know me as C," Kat ground out as if she couldn't be any more annoyed. "World-class reporter. Or so I've convinced others to believe I am. I mean, what can a girl really do to get work in this day and age?" She wagged the file, briefly pondering before returning to the task of perfecting her nails. "Let's get on with the show. We'll be dead before we do any of this 'save the world' stuff."

Kara smirked. She had a feeling she was going to like this Cat Grant. 

Winn didn't have to introduce the last of their crew. The woman stepped forward, placing a long, serrated knife in the sheath at her side. She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, pinning her gaze to Kara. "Lena Luthor," she said. "You're Kara, I take it...and bi?" There was a hint of humor in her voice as "bi" bounced off her tongue, but her features betrayed nothing.

Winn couldn't help but snicker. Seeing as their group name consisted of eight letters, but there were only seven members, he had assigned the letters "b" and "i" to Kara. Of course...he hadn't intended for them to have the double meaning they now implied.

Alex buried her face into Maggie's shoulder to stifle her laughter. 

Cat sighed, shaking her head in a "shame" fashion. "This is what happens when you equate individual names to a group name."

Kara frowned. She was anything but amused. She took a step toward Lena as silence engulfed the group.

From what Kara could tell, Lena was what many would call a looker. Her skin was pale, but understandably so as many nowadays avoided the sun. She was slender and tall, but curves were also present, which, given their meager food options, wasn't as common. She had long, black hair, which was pulled into a ponytail, green eyes (possibly blue), two beautifully symmetrical eyebrows, and a jawline to kill for. Her slacks and long-sleeved white shirt only helped to accentuate her body, which Winn seemed to be admiring quite a lot.

Kara wasn't sure what type of woman would wear a long-sleeved shirt in this heat, before it was even noon, but she herself and everyone else were wearing slacks, so she figured she didn't have much room to judge in that regard. Whatever Lena Luthor's deal, Kara was not impressed; she'd seen extraordinarily beautiful women before, and they were all the same — a lot of talk and bravado, and very little substance. There was a level of defiance radiating from the woman that managed to pique Kara's interest a little, but not enough. "Like Cat said, let’s get on with it," she stated, moving past Lena without another word.     

The group followed as Kara led the way and Winn explained: "Now remember –- all of you have a specific gate to unlock. We have to be precise if we’re going to successfully get to the target."

Precision wasn't much of a concern, Winn was certain. His team were all excellent lock pickers, but one wrong twist could set off an internal alarm.

The group briefly looked up at the sky, almost simultaneously. The air was tinged with smoke, and they knew that the faster they could get things done, the faster they could recover in a safe spot, with more tolerable air. They had to keep their health up, which was obviously a trying endeavor.

Lena moved alongside Winn, who was focused on some type of camera device in his hands. "Is she always this lively?"

"Oh you mean Kara." Winn grinned. "Don't worry. She's grumpy when she hasn't eaten yet. Other than that, she's quite bubbly."

Lena looked skeptical; Winn was up to the challenge. "Watch." He pulled out a tiny candy bar. "Oh, Kara..."

Kara looked over her shoulder as Winn tossed her the bar. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth in a single motion, flashing a blinding smile before turning back around.

"Wow," Lena replied, somewhat taken aback by the change in demeanor.

Winn snickered. "Told you so."

The team stopped in front of a large gate. Kara pulled out a pick from her glove, and used it to open the lock. The group rushed inside. From Winn's device, he could see the different surveillance cameras from above. They were at one of the immortal manufacturing plants, and Winn's camera, which was tapped into the surveillance mainframe, could see everything. With a few digital hits to the keyboard, he could take out the surveillance cameras, but they needed this to be on record. They needed the immortal regime to be able to come back to this and see that it was Group Biologic that had done it. So, instead, Winn reworked the cameras so that they would only see what the group needed them to see. The tank tops wouldn't notice them until it was too late. And by then, the digital data would be sent to the top of the regime.    

Within the gate, the fences were long and seemingly endless, and there were more gates. They looked like a maze, but the group had prepared for this.

Kara and her new comrades ran along the fences in search of individual destinations.

Lena pulled alongside Kara. "You didn't give me a chance to continue back there."

Kara shrugged, taking her glasses off for a moment to wipe at the fog they had accumulated. "What's the point? We already know of one another. The only difference is that now I know what you look like."

Lena was intrigued, and not just by the prospect of knowing what the great Kara Danvers thought of her, but also by how the simple removal of glasses made Kara almost look like a completely different person. "And?" She kept her eyes glued to Kara, trying to gauge her reaction.

"You know the saying don't judge a book by its cover?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't believe in that." Kara moved ahead, pushing her glasses back up on her face.

Lena stopped in her place, mouth agape.

The group proceeded to go from gate to gate, each person picking their assigned lock. At the end of the maze-like fence, Kara broke the lock of the last gate, coming right up against the huge building. It didn't look like anything special. Just a big building, with a window stretching across its entire midsection, black data chords crisscrossing near that midsection and much higher, and smoke spewing from the structure's very top. Not for the first time Kara wondered if maybe they burned bodies inside. As the others caught up with her, she felt a tinge of excitement. She could almost taste the victory.

Lena moved a little ahead. "Maggie, get the truck ready," she said with a stern tone that pulled Kara out of her reverie. "As we discussed, one person moving past the gates has a better chance of avoiding detection. And I hear you're fast and good at blending into your surroundings."

Maggie handed her backpack to Alex, then went to the task at hand.

"You got this, Sawyer," James called out for support, literally taking the words out of Alex's mouth. He noticed Alex's dejected expression, and shrugged.

Lena retrieved a pair of jumping boots from her own backpack and threw them in front of Kara, who noticed that Lena was already suited in a pair. "Put those on," Lena ordered. "They're better than the scraps you have on now."

Kara rolled her eyes. She didn't like the role reversal, with Lena now telling her what to do, but she did as _advised,_ both additionally putting on gravity-defying bracelets meant to help them bind to solid surfaces. _  
_

Lena wasn't sure what to make of Kara Danvers, but it was clear that the woman didn't think highly of her. From what she could gather, Kara was the type to respect authority, or least one to think better of those who led rather than waited to follow. And if that was case....

Lena looked to Alex. "Tools?" She held out her hand.

Alex gave a questioning look, but this was not the time to debate captains. She pulled out a large roll of rope from her backpack and handed it to Lena.

"Better be long enough," Lena sighed before looking to the others. "You guys head out."

As everyone had done their jobs and knew what was left, the rest was a matter of following through.

The group fled back within the gates as Kara and Lena jumped onto the building’s surface, their boots helping them to hop-scale it. Lena, getting stuck at some points, was having difficulty maintaining a steady pace, but she saw that Kara was moving with ease. It was almost like she was gliding. Lena had never seen anything like it.

They made it midway, just below the window. They could see a few guards inside. The guards' backs were turned, and each of the men were set up at a different door. Kara adjusted her glasses to the X-ray vision. The same setup was at different points further inside. "The fools have no idea we’re here," she snorted.

Almost feeling sorry for them, she pulled out a medium-sized, square black object from the pouch at her side and placed it onto the glass. It attached to the window effortlessly, extending at either side as those extensions sped around the building to grasp it as a gigantic bracelet would. The center of the object had fifteen electronic slashes on it that started to disappear one by one in a count-down fashion. It was in this instant that Lena noticed Kara had at some point stolen the rope from her shoulder.

Kara smirked. This may be the age of timelessness, but they still had math. She threw a grappling hook, which was attached to the rope, up at one of the data chords above, letting it hook. She looked to Lena. "Better hold on tight."

Lena did so quickly, moving behind Kara to grasp her around the waist. And they were off.

They slid down the chord as the building exploded behind them seconds later. Millions of glass shards and solid debris flew dangerously close as their force fields emerged, but fire did not trail them. Instead, it shot straight up into the air as though a dragon spewing flames. The device had redirected the fire's pathway, and Kara was grateful for "small" technological advances such as this.

Below, each member of the group, protected by their own individual force fields, grabbed onto the rope as it crossed their heads. They were swiftly picked up and carried along with Lena and Kara as the chord's path moved higher into the air, over the gates. In the distance, they could see thousands upon thousands of people killing each other in the ongoing fight for survival, this endless trail of death.

They glided into the back of the truck Maggie had waiting for them, an automatic steal shield immediately sealing and protecting them inside as some shards of glass and other debris collided against the vehicle.  Maggie, ready at the wheel, quickly took off, driving as fast as she could. 

As the group peeped out of the long glass slit in the back of the truck, watching the destruction of the building with hoots and hollers, all Kara could wonder was how humankind had fallen so low. And why Lena Luthor's arms were still around her.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

They drove for hours, mostly in silence. They knew there wasn't really anything to celebrate. It was just one immortal manufacturing plant. People were still being slaughtered. People were still extending their lives beyond their natural limit. Resources were still being rapidly depleted. The world was still in peril.

As Kara looked out toward the landscape in one of the older model trucks they had acquired, Earth's sad state repeatedly entered her mind. They were on one of the few roads people hardly frequented, and she could see why. These were the sandy areas, barren of any vegetation. Sand had disadvantages as a growth medium, such as the inability to retain water and nutrients. Although it, for the most part, didn't exist in the pure state, and there was commonly some percentage of silt particles which increased its ability to hold water and retain nutrients, the water drained through immediately when it rained. If you watered it yourself, you may as well have aimed the hose at a basket full of small, plastic balls. One could try adjusting the soil texture by adding silt or clay to a sandy soil, which would offer some improvement, but most of it would just flush through the soil since there wouldn't be enough organic matter to keep the fine-textured soil components from washing out.

In short, increasing soil organic matter was key to gardening in sandy soil, and one needed the soil more sticky, so water and nutrients wouldn't just flush through every time it rained. This could be done, especially with their water droughts, but water was also key, and all of it was an uphill battle with much exertion. People would simply move on to less problematic land rather than deal with that.

"We'll grow it all back," Alex said, as if reading her mind.

Kara looked to her sister, giving a slight smile. They sat across from each other, Alex occasionally looking through the glass window in front of them to admire the back of Maggie's head. Winn and James sat next to each other examining content on a tablet. Cat leaned against James, fast asleep. And Lena sharpened her knife.

 _Lena,_ Kara's mind unwittingly supplied. The woman was still beside her. There wasn't much room in the back of the truck, but there was certainly enough for Lena to have her own space. And yet here they were, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. It had been like this the whole ride. Kara would scoot a little away; Lena would scoot closer and intermittently sharpen her knife while staring Kara down. Kara didn't give her the satisfaction of blatantly letting on how annoyed she was, but she reasoned that the simple act of repeatedly scooting away was enough of a clue. So as far as Kara was concerned, Lena was toying with her. She never once bothered to directly look at the woman during the ride, but she could feel those green eyes on her each and every time, and it was unsettling.

The truck pulled up to a piece of land, coming to an abrupt stop. Cat immediately sat up, wiping at her mouth and brandishing a small pistol. "Where are they?! Where?!"

James laughed, touching strong hands to the startled woman's shoulders. "We're home."

The group exited the vehicle. Winn led them to spot a little ways off. He used a device in his hand to elevate a rectangle piece of the land, which revealed itself to be a hidden door offering stairs which descended underground. "Underground subway," he said. "Completely abandoned. I worked on this for two years. Wait until you see it." He sounded excited, like a kid wanting to show off his latest drawing to his parents. 

Maggie gestured toward the vehicle. "And the truck? We can't just leave it exposed."

"No, we cannot," Winn agreed, pulling out a small, thumb-sized contraption from his pocket and throwing it against the truck. The vehicle instantly blended into its surroundings, becoming invisible to the naked eye.  

Lena looked at it and back to Winn with a hint of marvel in her eyes. "You're just full of gadgets, aren't you?"

"Any gadget you want." He grinned as wide as humanely possible.

Kara rolled her eyes; if this was Winn's idea of flirting, he was piss-poor at it.

"Well, that's that," Cat said, moving toward the door. "Time to see what this new home has to offer."

The group descended the stairs, the door closing behind them. As Winn explained that this has been his home for a year, Kara took the time to visually explore. Except for the rust, other deterioration, and outdated infrastructure, it almost looked like the subways from their century. It was huge, well lit, and had half height platform screen doors, or platform screen gates, to improve the efficiency and safety of transit stations. They could camp out inside a tram, but it was clear that Winn had something else in mind.

He stopped in front of an old wine poster on the wall next to one of the doors, moved it to the side and pressed a button underneath. What they thought was merely a wall moved to the side, and a large, spacious room came into view.

"The surprises keep coming," Lena remarked, entering the room before Winn could officially invite them inside.

When everyone entered, and the door slid shut, the group stood stunned. The living quarters resembled those that were abundant before all of the chaos, with the exception of the small tables centered in the middle, which gave it a cafeteria or work station feel. There were tablets on said tables, mural paintings on the walls, powered fans next to lights on the ceiling, a kitchen to the right, some type of air-conditioning system to the left, a few plush chairs centered behind the tables, and several doors on either side of the room a little farther ahead. There was also a hall right down the middle.

"I like to think of this as my man-cave," Winn said, soon waving his hands dismissively. "Not really."  

Cat took in a deep breath, exhaled, and walked to one of the tables to unload utensils from her backpack. The first materials she pulled out were pen and paper. She looked around, then started jotting things down.

"Um, Miss Grant," Kara began, watching the woman curiously. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"Surely you know, Kira," she remarked, not lifting her eyes from her pad. "I saw you taking notes on the drive here." 

Kara pushed the glasses back up on her face. "It's Kara," she said defensively. "And I wouldn't call them notes; they're more ramblings, really." 

Cat looked her over. "Then consider these my ramblings, dear." She sat down, pulling out a pair of glasses and adjusting them on her face before continuing with her notes. "I assure you I'm looking to do my job and report." She looked back up at Kara. "To our allies. Not to our enemies, of course."

Kara nodded. "Of course." She knew she could trust Cat. Her entire group had been vetted, after all. But Kara was taught to always be alert and to question things, speak her mind, if she wasn't sure of something.

"And, Kara." Cat looked to her again; Kara smiled at the correct use of her name. "It's just 'Cat'."

"Understood," Kara said, feeling a little embarrassed and sharing a knowing look with Alex. Alex always seemed to know what she was feeling. Almost always.

 She moved to her sister and hugged her. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time they had done this.

"Well, this is long overdue," Alex said, echoing her thoughts.

"It is." Kara pulled away. "We should talk."

Alex nodded her agreement. There was much they'd missed in each other's lives these past few weeks and that needed to be remedied.

Alex looked to Maggie, and Kara realized that she had unintentionally ignored the other woman. She offered her hand, an official handshake by way of an apology.

Maggie wasn't one to sweat the small things, however. There would be plenty of time to get to know her girlfriend's sister...she hoped. "This is an actual faucet?" she asked, moving to the kitchen and turning on the water. "What in the -- where is this coming from?" She ran the water over her hands before splashing some of it on her face. "It's safe to drink?"

"Completely," Winn nodded, quite proud of himself as Maggie proceeded to drink out of the faucet. "We have everything we need here, including..."

He walked to a wide door on the right, opening it. The team joined him, taking in what was clearly a well-crafted greenhouse with just enough sunlight filtering in from the ceiling. The ceiling was made of glass on the outside with a steal cover within. Below, there were plants typical of greenhouses, but also strawberries, blueberries, oranges, bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables sectioned off in individual rows. Some were growing on small trees at either side of the room.

"Winn," Kara said, touching a hand to his shoulder as she eyed the delicious-looking fruit. "How'd you do all of this?"

"Well," Winn began, entering as the others followed. "I have to admit, I had help."

Kara narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Winn cut her off. "I'll explain later," he promised. "But for now... " He moved farther ahead, determined to stick to the current matter at hand. "Research was key to constructing a greenhouse, obviously. Growing fruit trees in greenhouses isn't easy. A warm environment must be provided, but not too warm." He walked to one of the rows. "Given the heating predicament we face, designing the ceiling so that just the right amount of sunlight reaches the plants was one of the things that needed to be taken into account." He looked up at the steal slits in the roof; they were a part of a large venting system, which he displayed by operating two switches on the wall. Depending on the direction he moved them in, the amount of available sunlight and air conditioning within the room shifted. "Fruit trees grow best in temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. For tropical fruit trees, it's a little different, above 60 F. Frequent waterings and regular misting are also a must."

Winn picked up an orange. "Some of the berries are the most difficult to grow. They grow best in the winter. So I have to go through this annoying chilling process just to have any success with them." He pointed behind them, signaling two separate doors. "One's what I like to call the chilling room; the other is a small, shielded garden area. There's a third door in the corner to the right; shack-like. Maybe we can use it for sparring. Anyway...apples have a similar chilling issue, worse perhaps; so there aren't any apples yet." 

He examined the orange more carefully, looking for any possible deformities and smiling when he found none. It had become quiet, and he looked up at his friends to see them still processing everything. "Don't just stand there. Help yourselves."

Kara's face lit up, and she headed right for the strawberries and oranges.

Winn wagged a finger at her. "Just enough. This isn't a feast, Kara."  

"I'm not an idiot, Winn. I know that we need to ration," she said, using her shirt as a make-shift bowl and piling on some fruit before heading back into the main room. 

She sat at one of the tables, moving the tablet aside, and immediately began digging in.

"You're not going to wash your hands?"

Kara looked up to see that it was Lena questioning her cleanliness. She stuck another berry in her mouth. "Later."

"You should at least wash the fruit." Lena pulled up a chair and sat across from her.

Kara noticed that Lena didn't gather any fruits or vegetables for herself. Wasn't the woman hungry? Everyone else had at least grabbed a banana. "What about you?" Kara nodded toward the empty area in front of Lena. 

"Later," Lena said with a smirk.

Kara began to peel one of her oranges. If Lena didn't want to eat, it was none of her business. At least that's the way she was supposed to think. But they were a group, and the whole group needed to keep their strength up.

"Is there any meat?!" Maggie yelled from across the room.

"Sorry," Winn said apologetically. "

"Boooo," James bellowed before digging back into his food.

Alex shot daggers his way. He'd taken the words out of her mouth yet again.

"If you want meat," Winn added, "I suggest you locate hunting grounds available for such resources yourselves. You know, away from the war and everything."

Lena laughed, scanning the colorful characters she was only just now starting to see fleshed out. This was certainly an interesting group, and she was in an _interesting_ predicament. She refocused on Kara. "Do you wonder why they call it 'the age of timelessness'? I mean, we clearly still have time. It may not be as explicit and rampant as before, but still."

"Time is an illusion," Winn called out from a table, apparently eavesdropping...if openly hearing what people a few feet away were saying could even be called eavesdropping. "Einstein said that."  

"Who even came up with 'age of timelessness'?" James asked. "Sounds corny."

Kara popped a piece of orange into her mouth. "I don't know... Sounds kind of poetic to me."

"Corny," Cat agreed, setting her plate aside and returning to taking notes.

"And don't get me started on 'the Queen of Sorrows'," Alex chimed in. "What cheese." 

Lena sighed. She liked the group and all, but how could she possibly have a conversation with Kara if others were going to keep butting in every few seconds? They needed privacy.

"Guys, I forgot to tell you that you have your own rooms," Winn said.

Lena thanked whatever god had just answered her prayers.

"Six, actually," Winn clarified. "So Alex and Maggie will need to share."

The group grunted and shrugged unenthusiastically, as if they couldn't be bothered with this particular information, at least at the moment; Lena briefly pondered their sanity. How could they not be excited about that? If anything, she loved privacy. Couldn't get enough of it. Sure, she had been invading Kara's personal space, but that was different. Kara was different.

"And we have a bathroom...right down the hall," Winn added.

Again, the group shrugged.

"Which has a shower."

At that, the group perked up, each looking to the other as if to assess who was going to make the first move. In an instant, Alex, Maggie, James and Winn dashed for the hallway. Seeing as Alex and Maggie were closest to the bathroom, they made it there first and locked themselves inside. The others banged on the door, complaining. 

This gave Lena the desired alone time with Kara. Well, except for Cat, who still sat behind them.

"You don't like me, do you?" she asked Kara bluntly.

Kara sucked on an orange. "I don't know you."

Lena got up and moved beside her, scooting close so that they were touching shoulders again; Kara eyed the woman. "We can change that," Lena said. She looked to the orange that was still placed between Kara's lips.

Behind them, a tablet almost fell over. It was Cat's. She had lowered her glasses and was staring at the women intently.

Lena noticed the audience out of the corner of her eye, but decided to ignore the matter. After all, the others were still teasing Alex and Maggie in the back. What was one witness to her overt flirting?

Kara swallowed the orange. She pushed her glasses back up on her face and turned to Lena fully. "How so?" she asked innocently. Her tone was so innocent, in fact, that it left Lena speechless and caused Cat to exasperatedly bury her head in her arms against the table.

Lena balked. Did Kara truly not understand her invitation? Was she playing coy?

Kara chewed on another orange slice, briefly humming a tune.

Lena decided to change tactics. "Your sister and Maggie, do you think they're having shower sex?"

That did it. Kara nearly spit out the orange in her mouth. Choking, she coughed raggedly for a few seconds before waving off Lena's attempts to pat her on the back. "I'd rather not have a mental image of my sister's sexcapades, thank you very much!" She got up and headed for one of the bedrooms just as James and Winn came back into the main area pouting. 

Kara knew that Lena wanted something from her. She just wasn't sure what. The woman was flirting with her. Blatantly. But why?

Winn stopped her before she entered the room. "I'll go over everything later. For now, let's just rest up."

"I'll be fully prepared to take down the regime either way," Kara said before closing the door. And she meant it. Before all of this was over, the immortal regime would feel the full extent of her wrath.

* * *

 

Eltricia Wright descended the staircase, entering the throne room of the regime tower. Her gray cloak covered her brown, sleeveless leather outfit and swept across the floor as she moved.

A number of women lined an area near her throne. They briefly bowed. Guards stood at the double doors and side entrances, alert. They also bowed.

Eltricia ignored them all, going to a large ongoing window to her right. She watched the view before her. Explosions went off in the distance. Soldiers scouted from the roofs of lower buildings, their force fields protecting them from the sun's harsh rays. Some fired at people below, past the fortified gates. Others pulled prisoners inside farther below. This view always gave Eltricia a sense of calm. Order. 

She could see her reflection in the glass and briefly marveled at it. Her currently gray eyes seemed to glow and contrasted well against her brown skin. Subconsciously, she reached to run a hand through her long, black hair. She'd been told many times before that she was beautiful, and sometimes she recognized that she was. Other times, she wondered just how much the compliments were tied to loyalty and admiration, or fear of her wrath.

A servant entered, immediately bowing before moving up behind his queen. "First child, your women."

Eltricia grimaced. She hated being called 'First child.' It was one of her latter titles, meant to signal that she was the first child of immortality. She still wasn't sure how all of this came to be. She remembered being kind, compassionate, with nothing but love for her parents and little brother. She couldn't express these emotions verbally, and expressing them physically had also apparently posed a problem, since her loved ones never seemed to grasp just how much she understood. It had pained her every time they'd looked at her as though she were an empty shell.

Then everything had changed. The last time she remembered being the Eltricia of before was after being rolled in a chair to an operating room. When she awoke, she was overcome by such confusion and rage. She could suddenly speak. Walk straight, instead of with an abnormal gait. But when she spoke, she didn't recognize herself. The voice didn't seem to match the internal voice she had used all her life. And neither did her words nor actions. Her brutal, contradictory actions.     

Eltricia closed her eyes, trying to block out the irrelevant memories. She turned to the servant. "What of the women? We go through this every day, Renald. I do not intend to mate with any of them."

"Yes, but, my queen," Renald began, "you still --"

"-- I still choose a woman to be sent to the Outlier lands, to be impregnated with the finest sample, or to turn immortal. I know," she said, sounding bored. She quickly walked to the line of women, surveyed them, and chose a dark-haired, plain-looking woman. "This one. Take her to be impregnated."

Renald scrunched his nose. The queen's tastes usually fell on the more stunning of the lot. "But, your grace --"

Eltricia shot him a look that told him to shut his mouth. "You brought her here. If you didn't want me to choose her, then maybe you shouldn't have. Now take her."    

Renald did as ordered, and with haste. He'd seen Eltricia's temper flare, the outbursts, and didn't want to be one on the receiving end.

The other women, so-called waiting women, remained. They always stayed, in case Eltricia should decide to bed any of them. She never did.

Someone else entered. This time it was one of her most respected soldiers, Charming. He was so given the name because of his good looks. Everyone in the immortal regime seemed to be obsessed with good looks, and they had given 'Charming' his name as well. Eltricia didn't know the name he was given at birth, and she didn't care. She called him 'Commander Altris' instead. And as a result, some referred to him as "Altris Charming."

"Your, majesty," he said, sounding out of breath as he knelt. "Rebel group Biologic has struck again."

Eltricia motioned for him to stand, then turned her back to him as she returned to the ongoing window. 

Commander Altris continued, "The soldiers trampled the room of one of the members earlier this morning. They found a few recently kept diaries, but they might have been fakes. Writings meant to mislead."

Eltricia ignored the information about the lone group member. "And you and your men did nothing to stop this latest attack?" she asked instead.

"That’s not true, Eltricia, I did my best to --"

Eltricia held out a hand, not even looking at him, warning him to stop. He always did feel free to use her name as if that made him more appealing to her. She would not be bedding him either. "I grow tired of this...rebellion," she said. "Signal for Lillian."

"Lillian? She's hardly --"

"Leave me."

Commander Altris did so immediately, just like Renald before him.

Eltricia took one last look at the outside view, then moved to sit on her throne. The judgements would begin in a moment. They might not have formal law anymore, but her word carried more weight than any previous existing law.

Her guards brought in a burly man. He was in chains and had a rebellious grin on his face. The guards threw him to his knees in front of her.

"What are his crimes?" Eltricia asked.

"He raped two immortal women in their own home, my queen. And at gun point," one of the guards stated. "The immortal husband of the first woman was helpless to stop the assaults. Says that the man took their five-year-old daughter into a separate room and locked the door. The child has been too traumatized to speak. But we can only assume... And the medical exam of the girl --"

Eltricia waved her hand at the guard to stop, then narrowed her eyes at the man on the floor. "Is he immortal?"

"No, my queen," the second guard spoke.

At this, the burly man spat. "Immortal scum." He eyed Eltricia with disdain.   

"Castrate him and put his head on a spike at the top of the tower," Eltricia ordered.

The burly man laughed. "Head on a spike?" His laughter deepened. "Who is going to see that from the top of this godforsaken, high-ass tower?"

Eltricia was up and in front of the man so quickly that the guards and waiting women did a double take. Her blade met his crotch, and she dragged it upward, watching in glee as his eyes and mouth widened both in shock and in horror. She tilted her head, enjoying the sounds of his labored, barely-above-a-whisper cries. "The next woman or child you touch will be the ones ripping the flesh from your bones." She looked up at her guards. "Take him to the skinning chamber. And ensure that our best female and child soldiers oversee the task at hand."

The man fell to the floor, croaking.

"Yes, my queen," the guards said simultaneously, taking the man.

"Then put his head on a spike at the top of the tower," Eltricia said, almost as an afterthought.

"Yes, my queen," the guards repeated.

Eltricia heard a clap from behind.

"You always did have a flare for the dramatics."

"Lillian Luthor," Eltricia slowly ground out, turning to view the tall, dark-haired woman. "It appears that you've been reading 20th century idioms again."

"Indeed, I have," the woman acknowledged. "But that's not why you summoned me here."

"No." Eltricia surveyed the woman, seeing that she had her forearm tattoos on full display today as she clasped her hands in front of her midsection. "I would like to know how the special training of our recruits is coming along. You previously spoke of the current army lacking in skill and needing an upgrade."

"They're coming along quite well. In fact, it should not be long before we are ready to integrate them into the army. I've assigned my son, Lex, to the task."

"Good, because it seems that we will be needing their skills much sooner than I had expected."  

 Lillian noticeably tensed up. "You mean Group Biologic?"

 Eltricia clasped her hands behind her back as she analyzed Lillian's body language. "Your daughter is still a member."

"Regrettably, she is. But I believe it to be a ruse. That she is working to get inside information for us."

"I would say I hope that's the case, for your sake." Eltricia turned to look at the ongoing window, wishing to be closer to it. "But I know better. And so, before the time comes, I will only relay to you that the outcome will be dire."

The tone of Eltricia's voice wasn't a threat; it was a promise. That much, Lillian knew. "And the rest of the group?" she asked cautiously. "Will we be seeking their deaths?"

Eltricia grinned, turning back to view Lillian. "I like to think of it as having something far better planned for them." 

 

* * *

By the time Kara awoke from her nap, it was nighttime. And she only knew this via one of the tablets from earlier; it didn't do much, but it did let one know if it was day or night.

Kara turned over in her bed. She had been looking forward to talking with Alex.

She didn't hear anyone outside the room, and wondered just how late it was. Whatever the case, it was late enough and she figured this was as good a time as any to catch that shower. She got off the bed lazily, switched on the light and rummaged through the room's small drawer. There wasn't a lot to choose from, but she wasn't expecting this place to be a hotel. She couldn't even recall the last time she was in a hotel. She must have been five. 

Running a hand through her hair, Kara threw a pair of pajamas over her shoulder. All of the clothing, including the underwear, was gender-neutral, and Kara decided she might as well go panty-less tonight. 

She stepped out of her room, seeing that the main area was empty and that most of the lights were off. "Thank goodness for small favors," she muttered under her breath, feeling relieved that she didn't have to worry about being intercepted by anyone. She began to turn the corner, but came up against a firm object; it nearly toppled her over.

Kara stumbled backwards, but her balance was steadied by a hand gripping her wrist. She looked up to find green eyes staring back at her. "Le--" Her train of thought died when she saw that Lena wasn't wearing much of anything.

"Can I help you with something, Kara?" The woman's tone was inviting. Sensual. And she smelled of ivory.

"I... Well, I was just... The shower."

Kara bit down on her bottom lip; she feared it was the only thing that would stop her stammering. Lena had on a T-shirt, a slightly wet T-shirt that fell just below the hips, and that seemed to be all. Her hair was wet from the shower, and it framed her face perfectly as the towel that hung around her neck helped catch the excess water. It was a sight that would have given Winn sensory overload.

And did Lena's eyes just appear gray for a split second?

Kara batted the brunette's hand away. "You can, in fact, help me with something," she said angrily. She reached to push the glasses back up on her face only to realize she had removed them before dozing off. For some reason, she felt exposed. But she'd be damned if she was going to let this woman know that. "You can stop flirting with me."

Lena arched an eyebrow. "Flirting. Is that what we've been doing?"

"It's what you've been doing."

"Have I?"

Kara let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not playing this game with you." She stepped aside and proceeded to move down the hall, but stopped, cursing herself for not carrying on. "Why do you do it?" She turned back around to face Lena.

Lena stared at the blonde for a moment. Teasing Kara further didn't seem conducive. "When I'm interested in someone the way I'm interested in you, I like to get under their skin," she admitted. "You seemed so cold at first. So aloof. Often, that's how people describe me. I didn't expect anyone to show me up in that regard." She laughed softly. "You intrigued me. You still do."

"So your goal was to loosen me up?"

"In a way." Lena stepped forward.

Kara stepped backward.

"You seemed like you'd be uncomfortable with such advances. And like I said, I wanted to get under your skin. If I could have approached you normally, I would have, but relationships, I don't do. I can't do," Lena whispered. "Sex, on the other hand... That is something I do very well."

Kara gulped. "No... No, maybe you're a spy."

"I'm not." Lena stepped forward again.

Kara stepped backward.

Lena smiled. She crossed her arms and looked to the floor, pondering her options. After a few seconds, she faced Kara and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, I promise not to flirt with you again, Kara Danvers."

It was then that Kara noticed the tattoos on the back of both of Lena's forearms. They were of odd, ancient-looking symbols that Kara couldn't make out, but she knew she had seen before. She moved to Lena without thinking, taking one of the woman's arms into her hands and tracing the tattoo pattern. Lena shivered; Kara didn't seem to notice. "Is this why you were wearing long sleeves earlier?" She lifted the other arm, tracing the lower region just like she did with the previous limb. "How did you come about these?"

When there was no answer, only ragged breaths, Kara looked up. She instantly wished she hadn't. Lena's lips were slightly parted, and she was staring at her with an expression that made Kara feel like trapped prey.

Kara blushed. "Um, okay. We'll talk about this later." She backed up. "I'm going to get that shower now." 

Lena hesitated as if she wanted to state more, then seemed to think better of it. "Good night, Kara." She moved backward slowly, looking Kara over, before retreating inside her room.

That room was right beside Kara's. Kara let out an internal groan. "Shit."

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Alex opened Kara's door slowly. That it wasn't locked wasn't surprising; Kara had been keeping her door unlocked since they were children. She saw Kara's back turned to her, and watched the rise and fall of Kara's body. Narrowing her eyes, Alex surmised this was a good time to test the abilities she knew so well. She threw a hand exercise ball toward Kara, only to see Kara's arm reach into the air with said ball firmly in grip.

"Alex," Kara said, but it wasn't a question. There was only one person who would toss a ball at her while she slept. Alex had done it countless times when they were younger. "Is it morning?" she queried.

"It is," Alex replied cautiously, waiting to see if Kara was going to hurl the ball back at her like she so often did. Only after Kara lowered her arm and yawned did Alex enter the room, closing the door behind her. "Everyone's just waking up." She held up a tooth brush. Its bristles moved in a variety of ways depending on the pressure she applied to the handle. "Winn was just showing us a few different tooth brush and toothpaste brands he picked up while scavenging." 

Kara reached for her glasses and put them on. She didn't especially need them, but they provided her with a sense of comfort and helped shield her sensitive eyes from the sun. She turned around, scanning the room lazily and wishing it had a window, and put her hands under her head as she looked up at the ceiling. "You want to know if I told them, don't you?"

Alex sighed. "I never could fool you with the small talk." She put the utensils in her pocket and went to sit in the small chair across from Kara. "I just --" 

"-- You want me to be safe, I know." Kara sat up and stared at Alex. She picked up the forgotten exercise ball, ripping it in half as if it was made out of paper. "But, Alex, how do I explain this?" She picked up one of her handguns from the stand near the bed and bent the end of it. "Or this?"

"Careful," Alex warned, holding her hands up as though wary of being shot through the head. "Also, we don't have many firearms to spare."

Kara sat back against the wall. "It's always like this. So, really, who am I going to tell?" Kara looked to the side, pouting. 

Alex watched her sister, seeing the conflict on her face. She was right. Who were _they_ going to tell? Very few knew who Kara was. What Kara was. So many people concerned themselves with mortals and immortals, but there was another type of being to consider, a hybrid of sorts. For all of her life, Kara had been a hybrid. It was genetic. Alex and her parents didn't understand at first, but Kara had told them what her birth parents told her: Human evolution hadn't been moving as slowly as scientists had thought. For reasons not easily understood, it had produced a superhuman subset — a being with especially advanced strength, hearing, speed and seemingly impenetrable skin. These beings also seemed to be energized by the sun, absorbing the solar radiation to power the advanced abilities and becoming just like everyone else if deprived of the sun's rays for a few days or more. Their only weakness seemed to be their sensitive eyes, but there was likely more. Either way, Kara's birth parents had speculated that this hybrid subset was in direct response to global warming, that the human species had slowly began to evolve to tolerate a much hotter climate. The other abilities, they had no explanation for. They simply knew that their family and others around the world were these subsets. These hybrids.

Alex remembered everything seeming like a dream when Kara's parents, out of breath and horrified, had shown up at the Danvers household at midnight. Alex had heard loud pleas coming from downstairs and joined her parents, who were busy arguing with Kara's mother and father. She saw the strangers standing in the doorway, a child no older than thirteen in front of them, looking bewildered. The two strangers were going on about having been on the run from a group determined to murder people like them and how they needed to get their daughter to safety quickly before getting back into their car and leading the group away. The Danverses had understandably wanted explanations, said they would call the authorities, but everyone there that night knew that there were few authorities left. Kara's parents hadn't given the Danverses any time to debate further. They gave Kara a hug, ran back to their car, and, before pulling away, said they'd come back for her. They never did.

The Danvers family got a letter a few weeks later from a friend of Kara's parents, informing them that Kara's parents had died. Alex's father confirmed the matter for himself when he went to the morgue to identify the bodies, having claimed he knew the family when the letter had advised how he could do so and that more people had been contacted to view the bodies as well, as to not draw attention to the Danvers family. The letter's author had been told of Kara and the family she was left with. Apparently, Kara's parents had relayed such knowledge to one or more trusted individuals before they died. The letter asked the Danvers family to see after Kara, but it didn't have to. The Danverses couldn't bring themselves to put Kara through the system, where she would no doubt have a much worse life. They raised Kara as their own, officially adopting her with the help of close, less than stern legal acquaintances. Kara hadn't said what her previous last name was, as she'd promised her birth parents that she would never reveal it. But it didn't matter. She became a Danvers daughter and sister. And their family was the better for it. It may not have been what most would term normal, with Kara practicing an unknown fighting style every day, and discovering a new power every couple or few years and the family subsequently trying to cope — trying to make Kara seem as average as possible — but it had been home.

Alex sighed, coming out of her thoughts of the past. She moved to sit beside Kara and smirked, still mulling over things in her head: _And to think...immortals believe that they are the ultimate human beings_.

"We'll handle this like we always do," she told Kara, pulling her into a hug. "Mum's the word. You go on pretending to be average, faking injuries and the like, not using your abilities unless you have to, and --"

"-- That isn't it," Kara breathed out. 

Alex pulled back a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Lena... Something strange happens to me when I'm around her," Kara confessed, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Strange?"

"It's hard to explain."

Alex untangled their arms, surveying her sister.

Kara felt small under the scrutiny. "What?"

"Are you saying you're interested in her? Is that what this is?"

Kara gawked. "No!" She stood up.

"I'm just saying." Alex waved her hands by way of explanation. "I've never seen you interested in anyone. I mean, romantically. Except for that one boy who would tease you. Remember? You were fourteen, and you still liked teddy bears. And he would tease you and tease you about it. You would get so angry, but you would also blush any time he initially addressed you, and --

"-- Alex!"

"And, yesterday, in the truck on the way here, you and Lena were practically breathing the same air. You didn't blush, but --"      

"-- She was the one making the effort to sit as close to me as humanely possible!" Kara protested. She got up in a huff, running a hand through her hair as she walked to the other side of the room. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she turned to Alex. And by the time she had, her face was the perfect image of composure. "How's mom and dad?"

Alex leaned back against the wall. Kara was as good at changing the subject as ever. "In a safe hideout. They're fine."

"And you and Maggie?"

Alex grinned. She held out a hand, inviting Kara to re-take a seat beside her. "Here, let me tell you all about it, before Winn does roll call."

 

* * *

 

Lena took the sheet off her bed and threw it over herself as she settled onto the floor with a tablet in her lap. It wasn't one of Winn's tablets; she'd brought her own. She considered sound-proofing the room so that no one would hear the conversation she was about to initiate, but then that would mean that she might not hear any commotion going on with the others. She put the quarter-sized sound-proofer device in her pocket and pulled out two tiny ear pieces that fit in her ears like hearing aids. These ear phones, and their attached tone phaser — a supplementary device that digitally translated one's voice to the normal tone when the actual tone was significantly different — could keep the discussion private. So as Lena whispered, the person on the other end would hear her normal voice.

Lena inhaled and exhaled deeply, preparing herself for what was to come. She typed in a few commands on the tablet, and, within moments, she was staring down at her mother.

"Lena," Lillian stated. "Trying to conceal your location again, I see." Lillian narrowed her eyes on the sheet around Lena's head.

"If I've learned anything from you, mother, it's that you can pinpoint a location from the tiniest of details, even if those details happen to be a couple of spots on the wall."

Lillian let out a soft laugh as she lowered her eyes. Although Lena couldn't see it, she knew that the woman was operating a small computer, steadfastly trying to track her. "You know me all too well, dear. So well that I see you've gone the extra mile by blocking my tracking attempts." Lillian looked up from her computer, all humor gone from her face.

"Naturally," Lena replied, a slight grin upturning her lips.

"This isn't a game, Lena. Get the information we need and get out of there. Come home."

"I told you before," Lena began with a frown, "I'm working with Group Biologic because I believe in their cause. Have you never stopped to think about what it is you're fighting for? Never questioned the peril the regime has put us all in?"

"Not the way that you have. No."

"That's the difference between the two of us."

Lillian pursed her lips. "The overpopulation dilemma is being solved."

"Yeah, 'solved'," Lena spat. "The only price is the loss of innocent lives." 

"No one is innocent," Lillian coldly countered.

Lena paused for a moment, staring at her mother. Contemplating. She found it hard to think of what to say next.

A knock at the door disturbed them.

Lena looked in the sound's direction, silently cursing the sheet blocking her view. "I have to go," she told Lillian, instantly cutting off communication before Lillian could respond.

The knock came again, this time a voice accompanying it. It was James, asking her to join them for breakfast. Winn had something he wanted to share with the group.

Lena threw the sheet off. "In a minute," she replied, moving to her bag and pulling out a red tube of lipstick and a small mirror. She sat on the bed applying the lipstick diligently. Red was Kara's favorite color, she had observed. There was the red top Kara had worn, the red hair tie, the red stripes on her black jumping boots, and a few red gadgets kept stashed in her pouch. No one surrounded themselves with that much red unless they loved it.      

 _You have a bad habit of aggressively going after those you want_ , she told herself. And it was true. She'd been interested in a number of people, usually on a superficial level. Never anything deep enough for her to keep coming back around. Sex had been easy, no strings attached. It had kept her mind off so many depressing things, and she would move on to the next willing body in a month or so. She was in her mid-20s now, and it had been like that ever since she was eighteen.

But this time was different. She would hold back because she honestly found the layers worth analyzing. If anything intrigued her, walking contradictions did. And Kara Danvers was a mess of a walking contradiction. This time it couldn't simply be about sex; Lena had decided that last night. She knew it wouldn't be about a relationship either, but she was invested enough to have it be somewhere in the middle.

She smacked her lips when the application was finished, then applied an extra coating. She'd always occasionally worn lipstick for herself, loving the way it contrasted her pale skin. But, today, it wouldn't be a troublesome thing if she were wearing it for someone else.

 

* * *

 

As Kara entered the main room, having freshened up following Alex's visit, she saw Winn in the kitchen at the front, an apron around his waist, cooking goodness knows what on the stove. He pulled out some orange juice from the refrigerator. Everyone else had taken their seats. Alex and Maggie were cuddling at a table, soft laughter escaping their lips. James was cleaning two of his guns. Cat was scanning something on a tablet. And Lena...

Kara could see the back of Lena's head. She was farther up than the others, hair in a luxurious ponytail, and she was clearly wearing long sleeves again.

Kara wanted to actually see her.

She tossed another look at Alex, who was far too into Maggie to notice her hesitant eyes asking if she should indulge in her _Lena curiosity._ She straightened her posture and walked to the table right of where Lena was sitting. Keeping her eyes focused on the area in front of her, Kara pulled out a chair and sat, folding her fingers on the table. Not wanting to be obvious about her interest in the dark-haired woman, she waited a few minutes, watching Winn continue to move about in the kitchen. He'd just pulled some toast out of the stove. When she finally did look at Lena, her eyes widened.

A woman wearing lipstick or any other form of makeup was an unusual commodity these days, and yet there Lena was, wearing bright, red lipstick as though she hadn't a care in the world. Cat seemingly had on a little blush, and maybe a little homemade foundation, but Lena's lipstick was vibrant, showy...and red. Kara looked away, then back at Lena again, then away again. The lipstick really did contrast her skin well.

Lena let out a laugh, and Kara quickly turned to the woman only to find her emotionless. Kara stared a little longer, scrutinizing every aspect of Lena's body language before turning back around. Maybe she had imagined the laugh?

Lena propped her legs up on the table, a slight small gracing her features. She knew Kara was watching and she was loving it. She had said that she wouldn't flirt with Kara anymore. She had said nothing about not catching her eye.

Winn started serving breakfast to everyone. It was oatmeal, toast, strawberries and freshly squeezed orange juice. Kara wasn't a fan of oatmeal, but it's not like they had the option of being picky. "Where did you," she began to ask Winn as he sat a plate on her table, but he shushed her.     

"Everyone, everyone," he said, walking back to the front of the room as the others ate. "Clearly, you have questions that need to be answered. I figured this was the best time to get everything out of the way." He walked to a switch on the side of the wall and pressed it. Kara had thought it was a light switch, but it triggered a high-tech projector on the ceiling and suddenly everyone was facing an eye-level holographic screen displaying a stern-faced man staring them down in the middle of the room, only his head and shoulders showing.      

"Everyone, this is J'onn J'onzz," Winn explained. "Code name: Hank Henshaw."

"Good evening," J'onn greeted. His tone was almost authoritative. He was of dark skin, had war paint under his eyes, and his gaze seemed to penetrate everyone in the room.   

"Everything we have here -- well, almost everything -- it's because of him," Winn continued. "Hank here works with a larger group of freedom fighters. The D.E.O. _,_ Department of Extranormal Operations. They investigate and report on immortal -- extranormal -- activity. They do other things as well, but they haven't told me what." 

Winn spared a critical gaze at J'onn before continuing on: "Because of their specialized use of ghost net, and connections with mortals willing to set up surveillance at crucial areas, they currently have the best immortal monitoring system going. It's because of them that I was able to locate this place here in the sandy lands. Each time a chance presented itself, which was often, given how scarcely populated this area is, the group sent out mortals to help build the place, to get things installed, irrigation set up, lights on, the works. The water comes from their  non man-made reservoir, which has been cut off -- fortified -- from immortal reach. This isn't the only safe place like this. There are a number of others." Winn took off his apron, looking far too excited as he placed it over his shoulder. "But get this." He held up a finger. "The immortals don't know about the DEO. I mean, yeah, they know there are freedom fighters other than Group Biologic, but they have no idea that there is an operation on this scale being carried out each and every day. We think." Winn looked back to J'onn.     


J'onn's eyes scanned the room again, this time settling on Alex with what appeared to be recognition. Alex returned the expression. "J'onn," she stated, slowly standing.

"Alex?" He laughed heartily. "I thought that was you. I realize that the shaved head and war paint might have thrown you off a bit, but I'm not that hard to spot. And you do know my name. So is it that you were hoping I wouldn't notice you?"

"J'onn," Alex started. "J'onn, I...," she faltered, honestly at a loss for words. Everyone seemed to be waiting for an explanation.

"So you two know each other," Winn stated.

"Alex worked for the DEO for about a year," J'onn relayed. "She was one of our best informants and fighters. Then, without warning, she left one day, stating that she needed to put family first."

Alex's eyes subconsciously drifted to Kara; J'onn picked up on it. "I take it this is the special sister you spoke of back then?"

Kara sat up, pushing up the glasses on her face. The use of the word _special_   wasn't lost on her.  "I... Well, I..."

"Yes, that's her," Alex said sternly. "I had to do what I had to do, J'onn."  


A deafening silence followed. Member after member looked to the other, wondering who should say something next.  


Cat raised a pen. "I sense a story here." 

"One I am not obligated to share," J'onn countered, his gaze shifting to Cat.  


Cat wasn't deterred. "Drama," she uttered under her breath, prolonging the vowels.  


Maggie raised a hand as if she were in class; J'onn signaled his approval. "So...you all couldn't build at least two showers?" she asked. 

James raised a hand next. "Are we to listen to you from now on?" He'd moved to sit on the edge of the table, his arms folded across his chest.  


Winn and J'onn exchanged a look.

"Well, Winn here tells me that Kara Danvers is sort of the defacto leader of the group," J'onn acknowledged, pinning Kara with his gaze. "I've heard great things about you, Ms. Danvers, and your _struggles_."  

Kara gulped. Lena watched intently.

"If you're as talented as your sister," J'onn added, "then I know we're in great hands." 

He looked to the entire group. "But I need you all to act as a team. I need you to plan, attack, scavenge, hide, train. All the things you did before, but better. Before, you didn't have the DEO directly behind you. Now you do. This doesn't mean that things will be significantly easier. They won't be. And it doesn't mean that you will have more time to catch your breath. I would love to state that this is the time to lay low, that you have more time to spend with your loved ones or friends before risking your lives again, but the immortal regime is actively looking for you all. For any and everyone opposing it. We have to keep hitting hard. And as often as we can."

Alex stepped forward. "What do you suggest as our next phase of attack?"   

J'onn could be seen folding his arms across his chest. "Winn also told me you have bikes?"  


 

* * *

 

They were bikes all right. Motorcycles as thin as human-powered, pedal-driven bicycles and as fast the highest speed of supercars. Winn had eight of them stashed in a garage of the subway area outside of their living quarters. Only two needed to be used today. While Cat would work a tablet connected to ghost net, sending word of the latest happenings to their allies, and fake news to their enemies, Kara and Lena would be working the most dangerous task  — acting as decoys near the Outlier lands. Winn and James would act as their eyes via tiny cameras attached to the bikes and the surveillance of the DEO. If the immortal regime thought Group Biologic was in the Outlier lands, then they wouldn't be looking for Alex and Maggie meeting with other freedom fighters for small-scale attacks while also scouting the safest immortal manufacturing plants to bomb.  


There had been debate regarding who would do what, of course. James had wanted to fight rather than stay behind, but Kara chose to partner with Lena, and Winn was clear that he needed James's smarts to help him with some of the internal work. Alex and Maggie pairing up, and Cat reporting, had been a given. 

Kara had intended for them to take individual bikes, but Lena insisted on one for efficacy. Kara reluctantly agreed, and Alex and Maggie followed suit, both pairings sharing a bike each. Winn provided them with small snacks, water, shoulder guns, communication ear pieces, and cloaking magnets. The magnets would make their bikes invisible if need be, but Winn was clear that they couldn't make their drivers invisible as well.    


With everything set, the four drove out a secret exit to the subway, a round door ceiling back up after them. They wouldn't return until their missions were complete.

 

* * *

 

Lex Luthor flipped his opponent to the ground, tattooed forearm pressing against the man's neck. The man grasped desperately at Lex's arms and tank top shirt, trying to alleviate the pressure, but it was no good.

"As soon as you have him down, your utmost objective should always be to end his life, and quickly," Lex said, addressing many immortal soldiers standing in uniform lines in one of the regime training rooms. In a few areas meant for observers, some families also watched the display.

The soldiers never budged. They watched Lex attentively, the way he used his body weight to keep his arm effortlessly placed against his opponent's neck, the way the life drained out of the man.

"Even if your main objective is to acquire information," Lex added, "keep the pressure on. Let him breath just enough to talk."

On cue, the opponent uttered, "They went North."

"And then kill him," Lex said with finality, snapping the man's neck with his free arm.

The soldiers all shouted in unison, "Yes, sir. Lex, sir."

The respect was something to be desired, Lex supposed, but the neck-snapping wasn't nearly as satisfying as he wanted it to be; the man was immortal and air would flow through his lungs again within minutes.

Lex moved away from the lifeless body, throwing a towel over his shoulder as he rubbed his bald head. In the distance, he saw Lillian approaching as the soldiers parted expertly for her, returning to their usual poses as she passed. At times, he pondered how he had come to have this life, but the answer was always apparent: He'd inherited everything from his father, Lionel Luthor, who had vowed to serve the immortal regime without fail. Lionel was ambitious, if anything, and he wanted the Luthor name to mean something. He lent Eltricia his knowledge of biochemical engineering and warfare, helping to design some of the regime's most innovative tech gear, buildings, and weapons, such as the elevated aerodynamic bullets that could identify and attack foreign bullets once fired, sometimes moving in a zigzag fashion. All he'd wanted in return was substantial power within the regime, a reputable legacy, and for his line to have an unchallenged claim to life. And that is what he was rewarded. 

From age five, Lex had been schooled in the art of politics, the necessity of science, and hand-to-hand combat, learning any and every way to undermine or crush his opponents. Part of that education had included the study of immorality and to value it and its queen above all else. To honor this vow, and to signal that he was a special subset of the regime, he began receiving elaborate tattoos on his forearms at the age of twelve; he hadn't had a choice. The tattoo initiation, which continued until he was fourteen, had been excruciating and remnants of its pain remained today, with featherlight touches being the only means of soothing it. Some, like his sister, might indulge in the company of others in the bedchambers in an attempt to ease the pain, physical or emotional, but bedding others had never been much interest to Lex. He remembered how Lillian would soothe the pain when she occasionally held him in her arms and assured that everything would make sense one day. At that time, all Lex knew was that the tattoo symbols had previously belonged to a group of hunters.            

He stood straight as Lillian approached him now. "Mother."

"Lex," Lillian said, gesturing for him to walk with her toward the hall.

"Have you come to talk about Lena again?"

Lillian looked down. "No. I hate to say it, but your sister appears to be a lost cause."

"Half sister," Lex stressed. "And I did warn you. Her heart never seemed to be truly with the cause."

Lillian looked down, thinking over his words. She truly did regret these circumstances. She turned toward the soldiers, remembering what her visit was about. "The men, they seem energized."

"I suppose they are better than the previous batch," Lex mused, casting a glance at the adjacent room seen through the large glass windows lining the black-painted training sector. Commander Altris was overseeing that lesson. 

Lillian followed his line of vision. "It is vital that your men are not only better, but are the best." She touched a hand to Lex's arm, causing him to look at her.

"And they will be." He stopped, using two hands to pull at the towel that now hung around his neck. "Commander Altris took that adjacent room today because he wanted to see what I've been teaching the men, if only so he can teach it to his own. What he saw today wasn't even the tip of the iceberg."

Lillian grinned widely, interlocking her arm with Lex's as they continued their descent down the hall. "I've taught you well."

They turned down a corridor, stopping when a young boy addressed them. He was a fan of Lex's and wanted to know if he could watch one of the training sessions. Lex pat the boy on the head with a promise that he would have the best seat tomorrow. He had meant to give the boy a digital pass, but they were interrupted by an urgent yell.

"Lex, come quickly!" the yell came again.

Lex turned to see a servant, Renald, rushing toward him. "My lord, you are needed in the operations room. Several mass attacks... To systems, to functional landmines, and the like. A number of malfunctions."

Lex didn't bother to dissect what Renald was stating. He bid the boy and his mother a goodbye for now and rushed to the operations room. Once there, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. Everything looked in order. Many techs operated ghost net on large tablets at their booth-like areas, typing calmly and seemingly without incident. But as he looked at the giant screen overlooking the room a little farther ahead, he saw it  — script upon script of unrecognizable data, seemingly devouring and regurgitating commands. Transforming and rerouting them. And the patterns were reflected on each and every one of the tablets.

"Good god," Lex said breathlessly. He opened his mouth to state more, but then the scripts erased completely, leaving nothing but a black screen. When the screen finally did show activity again, it displayed multi-colored, geometric shapes composed of four square blocks each, dropping at random places, building on top of each other time and again. A digital sound went off with each plop.  

Lex moved closer, squinting. "What in the hell is that?" He moved to one of the operators, his eyes never leaving the screen.

The operator blanched. "I believe it's Tetris, sir. Released on June 6, 1984."

Lex backed away, seething. He turned to the door, only to find Eltricia standing there staring at him. She nodded as though they had an understanding, and Lex took his leave.

He entered his expansive room moments later, immediately headed to his personal tablet and typed a series of commands. A masked figure appeared on the screen. "The hybrids. When can we bring them aboard?"

 

* * *

 

Winn and James fell over laughing in their chairs as they continued with their attacks. Winn always had been a fan of 1980s video games. To him, this was as good as his calling card.

Cat was busy on her tablet speaker, informing enemy territories of all the bad mortals were up to. "Yeah, yeah," she waved the tablet around as if it were a tiny microphone. "Mortals are planning to bomb the 13th and 16th streets of Town Corpio. I would have cast it off as merely a rumor, too, had I not heard it from my own teenage daughter's mouth." She waited for a response, nodding in agreement. "You know, I've tried to warn her about the people she hangs around."

Winn and James watched Cat in glee as she continued with her elaborate stories. 

Winn grinned. "You think Kara and Lena are having as much fun as we are?"         

 

* * *

Kara and Lena moved cautiously through a forested area. They'd ridden the bike for sometime, Kara at the wheel; Lena's arms securely around her waist. But they knew there was still a ways away until they reached the Outlier lands. Whenever possible, they'd been keeping to the forested areas for cover and protection from the Sun's rays which would begin their full force at noon and only intensify from there. The areas leading up to the Outlier lands were almost as desolate as the sandy parts, no doubt because of the feared landmines and other traps, which Winn, James and the DEO made sure Kara and Lena did not fall prey to. Via ghost net, the DEO's technicians dismantled the mines for each new area Kara and Lena covered.

As Kara led, and Lena followed, shoulder guns in hand, Kara tapped her ear piece while she pushed the bike along. "The trees are good enough cover for now, Winn," she informed. She heard Winn and James say "be careful" before cutting off. She'd already gotten an update on Alex and Maggie; they'd made it to the first meetup.  

"So," Lena began, "we actually need to make it all the way up to the Outlier lands instead of sending out misinformation that we're there?"

"You know how it works," Kara sighed. "Once we're there, digital information will show that we are. The regime needs to see it with their own eyes. They're too smart to be fooled by manipulated imagery."

"But not smart enough to not be fooled by decoys. Got it," Lena muttered.

Kara stopped, briefly looking up to the sky in annoyance. After a moment, she turned to Lena. "I'm not in the mood for your dry humor."

"And I'm not in the mood for your attitude," Lena fired back. "The testy nor slightly goofy one." She looked Kara over. "What are you, bipolar?" She cut off the cameras on the bike, then shifted her gun so that it hung over her shoulder, and moved to sit against a tree across from Kara.

Kara balked. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? We've been moving for however long with no break. I'm taking a break. And privacy is a must."

Kara bit down on her bottom lip, almost as if to silence herself from insulting the woman. Instead, she sat against the tree where she had been standing and stared at Lena, who had pulled out a water pouch to take a few sips from. She knew they had their force fields on them, but it would be noon soon, and it wouldn't be Kara who needed the protection from the rays. So the more territory they covered the better. Force fields were draining and stuffy, and they only lasted but for so long.

Kara rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not bipolar," she finally answered, stretching her legs. "I'm just worried about Alex."

"Why?" Lena shrugged. "She's a big girl. We're the ones who got the riskier task."

"Because she's my sister," Kara answered incredulously. "And we volunteered to take the riskier task. I'm the leader. I should bear the brunt of the attack." 

 Lena stared at the blonde as though empathy was a foreign concept.

"Isn't there anyone you care about? Love?" Kara asked.

Lena pulled her knees up toward her chest, resting her elbows on them. "I have a brother. We were close when we were younger. Not so much now. And mother... Well, she didn't birth me. I was adopted when I was four. Father had an affair, and I'm sure you can guess how the rest of that played out." Lena clicked her tongue against her cheek, looking to her hands. "Mother was... She couldn't..." Lena's voice broke with a flicker of emotion.

Kara sat up.

"Anyway," Lena continued, "that isn't what strained our relationship. I don't think we every truly had a relationship. And father's been dead for a long while now." Her eyes strayed toward the ground. "I'm fighting in this war for the people. Couldn't care less if it costs me my life." A small laugh escaped her throat.

Kara could see a hint of one of Lena's tattoos peeping out from a sleeve. Her mind revisited the closeness, the intimacy, she had felt when tracing her fingers along Lena's soft skin. A part of her imagined walking across the grass and hugging the woman.

"And you?" Lena asked, catching her off guard. 

"Me?"

"You love your sister, but is there anyone else special in your life? Any personal reason you've chosen to help fight in this war? To lead in it?"   

Kara hesitated.

Lena pressed. "Boyfriend? Husband?" She watched Kara squirm for a bit, and a smile crossed her ruby red lips. "Girlfriend?"

It was Kara's turn to look to the ground. "I'm adopted too," Kara breathed, her eyes temporarily making contact with Lena's as a form of solidarity. "I love my family, I do. But I can't help thinking about the one I had before." She looked off into the trees. "I'm haunted by them."

Lena sat back, processing the words. She watched Kara curiously, noticing how it seemed the blonde was a million miles away. "Here." She threw her water pouch toward Kara, smirking as Kara swiftly caught it. "You didn't bring one, right?"

"Thank you," Kara replied, taking a swig before tossing the pouch back to Lena.

The two watched each other. Moment blended into moment. An occasional smile formed on one's lips, and then on the other's. Lena took another drink; it was long. Kara watched as her throat worked the liquid down. Watched as water trickled down pale skin.

Lena lowered the pouch, tilting her head curiously when Kara's eyes flickered away. "You know," Lena said, leaning forward, "you've got some abs of steel under that shirt." Her gaze lowered to Kara's midsection. "Hard not to notice when we're entangled."

Kara stammered, her attempts to form words failing.

"And don't worry." Lena held up her hands as if not to offend. "I'm not flirting with you. I'm just saying."

Kara pushed her glasses up, nodding vehemently. "It's nothing, really. Just a vigorous workout routine."

"Is that so?" Lena asked, the look of intrigue on her face blatant. "Because I also have a vigorous workout routine, and I don't have abs like that. Come feel."

Kara waved her off. "I don't think I need to fe--"

"Kara..." Lena stood. "Feel." She walked over to Kara and pulled her up without another word. Kara hesitated at first. Lena was so close. She almost backed away from the woman, but when she looked up, Lena's gaze held her to the spot. A perfectly arched eyebrow and viridescent eyes dared her to touch. To let herself feel something other than annoyance for the woman standing before her. And so she did.

Kara's hand moved slowly, testing, as fingers made their way under Lena's shirt. When they made contact with bare skin, Lena's breath hitched and her eyes closed, as if she was reveling in the sensation. Kara blushed...hard. She almost backed away again, but held her ground, her fingers moving across the expanse of velvety skin.

Lena seemed to move closer as Kara's fingers trailed along at a snail pace. Kara was fascinated. Lena's stomach was even softer than her forearms. Her abs weren't as well-formed as Kara's own, but they were there. Kara could feel them flexing. She watched as Lena's mouth opened just slightly before teeth sank into a lower lip. 

Kara couldn't stop staring. She wondered what other faces Lena would make if she adjusted her movements just a little.

"Kara," she heard Lena breath out.

"Hmm?" Kara answered, somewhat in a daze.

"You can move your hand now."   

Kara stared puzzlingly, fingers still exploring.

Moment after moment dragged on.

"I said that's enough," Lena breathed louder, stepping away from Kara. She took a few seconds to regain her composure and then stalked to pick up her gun and pouch of water. She took hold of the bike and then moved ahead of Kara. "We should get going." 

Kara watched her go, wanting to say something, but pausing with a sense of confusion she hadn't had in a long time. She questioned what spell Lena had just put on her, why she kept feeling this way whenever they were in such close proximity, but she knew. She knew that this woman would be the death of her. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Lex marched into Eltricia's room. The frown on his face couldn't be any deeper. "The hybrids," he said, "there are no hybrids."

Eltricia turned to him and leaned against the large desk in front of the ongoing window. "No."

"But you promised me! You said if I convinced Lena to go to Group Biologic, you would give me an army like no other. A hybrid army."

"The hybrids have kept under the radar for years," Eltricia's voice rose. "Not wanting to seem like a threat to mortals or immortals. Did you really think they would volunteer to help eradicate the former? What would they have to gain from it? And once mortals were no longer a threat, wouldn't we be? Would we not try to subjugate them? Have we not already? They are arguably as immortal as we are, except more powerful." Eltricia looked him over. "Than most of us anyway."

Lex closed the door. He rested his head against it before turning back to her. "Then why have me send Lena to Group Biologic? Why play these games?" He regretted the question as soon it left his mouth. His heart sank. "You're going to do it again."

Eltricia's eyes flashed green, and she looked to the floor as a means of silently confirming his inquiry.

"You can't. You know what this will do to you. To her. What it did to all those years ago. Have you even discussed this with mother?"

She looked up at him, her eyes back to their normal gray. "You know that I haven't."

Lex rushed toward her, gripping her hands. "Please don't do this." He touched a hand to her face. "Please."

Eltricia took her hands in his, patting them gently. "This is always how it was meant to be, Lex. Father saw to that."

* * *

 

 

Alex and Maggie laughed as they rode in a jeep behind one other jeep and eight large vans while headed for their next destination point. They'd discarded their bike sometime ago, not needing it once they'd met up with the other freedom fighters. Maggie had been taken aback by the elaborate coordination of the DEO, and that they were able to pull this off so smoothly, but Alex had experienced the agency's cunning times before; so, to her mind's eye, this was just the tip of the iceberg regarding their capabilities.

"You're kidding," she said, scrunching up her nose at Maggie. "Once we restore the world, we will not be staying in a trailer."

"A trailer's cozy. Snug," Maggie challenged.

"Why live such a simple life after we are free to purchase a big house, with a big white fence, and at least two dogs to guard the porch area?" Alex folded her arms across her chest.

"So that it won't take me as long to reach you when I miss you." Maggie grinned, leaning over to kiss Alex on the lips.

Alex slapped her shoulder. "You are so sappy, Sawyer."

"So are you."

"Am not."

The two pulled apart when the sound of a grenade went off. The jeep came to a halt, and Alex and Maggie looked out the window to witness a convoy of cars in the distance descending upon them. Immortals were yelling out of the windows shooting and tossing grenades their way.

The freedom fighters exited the jeeps and vans, prepared for a battle they never saw coming.

Maggie moved beside Alex. "How did they know?" she asked more to herself than to the woman next to her.

Alex frowned. "There's no way they could have. Unless..."

Alex and Maggie looked to each other in understanding. "A spy," they said in unison.

* * *

 

 

Lena continued to lead the way as Kara watched her carefully. Deciding to forgo any further inquiries, Kara engaged the woman in random conversations about food. Lena didn't appear particularly interested. Lena was a soldier who thought about sustenance and sleep as an afterthought. It showed in her walk, her manner of speech, her gestures. The simple rich timbre of her voice sent tremors down Kara's spine. The brunette's mannerisms were smooth and refined, yet Kara sensed in her a wild and fiery component. Lena seemed at ease when they were together, but Kara didn't doubt that she would be as at ease with like-minded individuals. Kara had only recently met the woman and yet Kara's blood warmed in her presence.

"This is fucked up, is it not?" she heard Lena ask.

"What do you mean?" Kara moved closer, feeling that it was best to stay as near to each other as possible.

"Your team wants us to act as decoys near the Outlier lands, but wouldn't we be putting the Outlier lands in trouble by doing so? There might be unnecessary casualties."

Kara wanted to state all casualties were unnecessary, but she knew she couldn't. Her ear piece tagged her just as she was about to answer Lena. "What is it, Winn?" She responded. The man sounded frantic, saying something about things not going as planned and that Alex and Maggie were in trouble. He was cut off a second later. "Winn?! Winn?!" Kara yelled.

She looked to Lena. "There's a problem. Let's go." She turned away, heading back in the direction they had come.

"What?" Lena asked.

"Apparently, the immortals didn't take the bait."

* * *

 

 

By the time Kara and Lena made it to Alex and Maggie, there were at least one hundred, tank-top wearing immortals battling Group Biologic and at least seventy other freedom fighters helping to fend them off. Commander Altris was at the head of the immortal team, using an especially long blade to whack at any mortal crossing his path. Kara had heard of the commander, that he was skilled with a sword. And now it showed, as he worked through force field-less freedom fighters as though he were chopping down tall grass.

The screams were deafening as swords and guns clashed, and bodies dropped. Smoke filled the air from older guns and the occasional smoke grenade. Heads, arms and other limbs lined the ground. Commander Altris stepped over one body that was severed in half and retrieved a gun, tossing it to one of his soldiers who had become unarmed. He then moved in a direction opposite Group Biologic.

Kara breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, no one seemed to realize what they looked like. Group Biologic was holding their own, their force fields protecting them from the immortals' bullets and other weaponry as they battled. Alex worked guns like a pro, taking down three enemies in a fluid motion. Maggie flipped over her, shooting from left to right. Winn twisted his sword against the hand of an immortal who grabbed it; the immortal writhed in pain and pulled away with bleeding palms, only to get shot in the back of the head by Cat. Four immortals stabbed and shot at James, but, wielding a gun in one hand and an axe in the other, he took them out in twos.

Discarding their bike, Kara and Lena moved into the fray quickly, Lena extracting a serrated knife from her side and immediately charging at immortals, slashing at the throat of the first one she descended upon. Kara moved behind her, shooting down one immortal after next. It was weird. Although a number of the immortals the group dispensed rose soon afterward, none of them were using force fields to protect themselves. Some of them, the ones who had been fatally wounded, lay on the battleground dying as a result.

James cut off the heads of two immortals, their blood staining his frowning face.

Lena slammed one immortal to the ground and stabbed him in the ear.

Alex and Maggie continued to work as a team, alternatively killing from one side to the next.

Cat strangled an immortal woman on the ground with a shriek, and Winn moved in front of her and shot the woman in the head.

Kara smirked as she held an immortal by the face and shot him in the mouth, simply blinking as blood splattered onto her. They were winning. If they could do this each and every time they faced the regime, they would win. They had a chance.

That is what she thought, until she saw a large, black aircraft thunder overhead. It landed eloquently, like it couldn't be bothered to disturb the battle. A number of eyes watched as a new breed of soldiers exited the aircraft; they were dressed just like the average man and woman, rather than in the traditional tank top-and-slacks apparel immortals usually donned. And so they blended in seamlessly with the mortals they charged at, fighting with all of the acrobatic skills of Olympians. Some used guns; others used their sheer fighting talent. All of them exerted military knowledge never before seen by the regime.

Kara felt panic begin to set in with the realization that these were no ordinary soldiers. She watched as the first one took out a mortal with nothing but an elbow to the neck, his enemy collapsing to ground. Kara winced.

Back at the aircraft, a siren of some sort went off. A tall, bald man with a piercing gaze emerged from the aircraft, a gun over his shoulder. A brown-skinned woman in leather emerged after that. Kara knew that the latter, who seemed strangely familiar to her, must be the infamous Eltricia Wright. The two stood near the entrance watching the chaos, assessing. And then a hell worse than anything Kara could have imagined broke loose. Eltricia raised a hand and ended lives with a flick of her wrist. Two mortal men collapsed with snapped necks. A few others began to cough up blood. And yet more gripped at their chests as they fell to their knees.

Kara blinked repeatedly. The rumors were true. Eltricia Wright was telekinetic. Kara didn't know why she and everyone else had found it so difficult to believe, given that even immortality had become possible. Kara was a hybrid with superhuman strength even, and yet and she hadn't considered the rumors as anything beyond old wives' tales. Perhaps because it had never made sense that Eltricia would have such an ability and never openly use it or advertise it. But as Kara saw Eltricia picking one person off after another, even fellow immortals, there was no denying the power being displayed.

Eltricia's hands focused on the old brand of immortals and the mortals they were fighting with, her movements resulting in a trail of death that Kara realized had disabled any existing force fields and cleared a path toward her friends. Toward Alex.

"Alex," Kara screamed. How did Eltricia know who they were?

She watched as Alex dodged a sword meant for her. The blade reached Cat's heart instead. Cat's eyes widened, her hands gripping at the sword an immortal man had rammed through her chest. The man pulled it out, ready to swing again, but was shot in the head by James, who immediately went to his knees beside Cat. He held her as she smiled, as she closed her eyes.

There was no time to mourn.

A bullet met James's neck next. Alex and Maggie stumbled backward. James grabbed at the wound, looking toward them as though questioning what was happening. He took in a deep breath and collapsed over Cat.

Maggie raised her guns to blast at the surrounding immortals, but the weapons were instantly dispensed by Eltricia. A blade found Maggie's heart as well. Alex screamed, tears instantly stinging her eyes as she raised her guns toward the gray-eyed woman who stared her down.

Kara's heart dropped. "Alex," she screamed again. She could do something about this. She had powers. She wasn't going to let her sister die.

She began to charge Alex's way, but was tackled by Winn. Eltricia waved her hand in their direction and Kara and Winn were blown backward, many feet away from Alex.

Kara turned on her back, groaning. Her ears rung, her eyes re-adjusted as her glasses lay cracked beside her, and the thick smoke burned her lungs. But she had to find Alex. She had to make it to Alex.

She looked up to see Alex grasping at her chest. Her eyes had found Kara's, and they conveyed everything her mouth couldn't as it gasped for air and coughed up blood. "Alex," Kara breathed.

Her sister fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Alex!" Kara yelled. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes. Alex had to be okay. The others had to be okay; she had just met these people yesterday. They were going to save the world. Stop the suffering and bloodshed. They couldn't be gone.

She tried to get up, to use all of her might to will her legs to work, but she was being held in place. She looked around, seeing men and women continuing to fight all over, but no one was holding her down. She saw Winn on his belly to her left. To her right, a little ahead of her, she saw Lena standing. The brunette's eyes seemed to be trained on Eltricia, as if the women were having some sort of stare-off. Kara cursed. There wasn't time for this.

She tried to speak, to reach for Lena. Lena turned to her and offered an apologetic look before turning back to Eltricia. Eltricia made a movement, and Lena simultaneously made the same movement. Kara couldn't make sense of any of it, looking again toward her sister's lifeless body. Renewed tears flowed down her cheeks.

Eltricia collapsed to her knees, a hand to her head, and Lena collapsed as well, falling on her back.

Kara felt a hand on her arm. Winn had crawled toward her, and she realized she was free to move again. He coughed up blood, trying to hand her a bag. "This will ensure that our name continues," he said. "Continue... Continue on for us, Kara."

Kara wiped at her eyes. When had Winn become fatally wounded? Had Eltricia latched onto his heart when they were blown backward? If so, why hadn't she been targeted as well? She pondered this as Winn's breathing slowed, as his hand stilled. She retrieved the bag and sat there watching him, disbelieving everything that had transpired.

Kara didn't move until she heard a moan escape from Lena's throat. She moved toward the woman, grabbing her by the shoulders and raising the brunette's head so that it rested in her lap. "Lena?" The sun was burning the woman's skin.

Lex watched his sister from the distance and frowned. He briefly glanced to his side to see Eltricia still dispatched, and moved swiftly through the battle, killing with barely a look toward his enemies. By the time he reached Kara and Lena, a group of immortals — the older brand — were descending upon them. Lex shot them all with the twist of his wrist as the rapid-fire gun flowed with his movements. He stepped in front of Kara and looked down on her with cold eyes. "Take my sister far away from here," he said.

Kara looked up at him, wiping at her eyes. "I don't understand."

Lex's frown deepened. "You will."

And with that, he went back to fighting, taking out the remaining mortals and killing off the older brand of immortals.

Kara looked to Winn's lifeless body and then to the bodies of her other comrades.

Leave? She didn't want leave Alex alone. She wanted to go to her and tell her to get up. She wanted to see her face again. But she had witnessed an aggrieved and sorrowful expression on that face moments ago, gasps for air, hands clutching against a crushing chest, blood pouring from an ajar mouth.

Alex was gone.

Kara put on her glasses and scooped Lena up into her arms as she stood. Watching as Eltricia remained bent to one knee, almost in an meditative state, and the bald man taking lives without a second's thought and finally squaring up against Commander Altris, she turned around and ran. She ran as fast as her superhuman legs would take her.

She would get vengeance one day. But today, she needed to survive.

* * *

 

They traveled the back alleys and unused roads until they came upon a wooded, fortified community, with a metal, spiked fence encircling it. Night had arrived and no lights shone from the community itself. Kara only knew of the place because of a hologram-information projector Winn had provided her with in the bag he gave her. Knowing she was a hybrid and that this day might come, one of the things he'd left behind was an encoded map to hybrid communities. This one had been assigned to her, and all she needed to do was have her face scanned for a unique hybrid marker and display one of her abilities, and she would be welcomed inside, no questions asked.

Questions?

Kara had so many questions, including ones concerning Winn's knowledge of things, but Lena was still unconscious in her arms and shelter was most important at the moment. She'd given Lena her force field while she carried her during the day, but the woman had still acquired significant sunburn. She readjusted Lena and, with unswerving tenacity, listened for any electricity the gate might be surging with. Satisfied when she didn't hear any, she sat Lena down against a side wall of the community's towering gate. Then, thinking better of risking the gate or wall later flowing with electricity as a form of protection, she placed Lena on the ground. She moved some hair out of the brunette's face as the woman mumbled a recognition, peering at her with lazy eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I hope you come out of it soon," Kara stated.

She left Lena on the ground and walked in the opposite direction, along the gate, trying to find an opening or some sign of life. It was a long stretch, but it made sense that the place would be so protected. Kara was grateful that it seemed like the place really was a sanctuary.

She headed back in the direction she had came from, then stopped in bewilderment for Lena was not where she had placed her only a few short moments ago. Nor was the woman anywhere in sight. Her mind pondered the different directions. She called out to her, passing along the wooded area to the left, and suddenly felt the brunette stagger against her back. Any other day, Kara would not have let a regular mortal tumble her over, but this was not such a day. Lena's weight sent them both sprawling headlong into the grass. Lena landed on top of her.

"For fuck's sake!" Kara screeched. She pushed Lena off of her. "You better be glad I care enough to put up with this." She moved over Lena to look at her. The woman's eyes were still closed and she squirmed.

"H-hurts," Lena breathed out, and her violent shaking gave credence to her claim.

Kara slackened and, with her own body riddled with aches as well, pulled Lena back into her arms. The brunette wasn't dying, Kara could tell this from the woman's heartbeat, but that heartbeat was erratic.

When she returned to the front of the gate, two armed men awaited her. They stood there staring her down like she was an insect. One of the men walked up to her, temporarily removed her ragged glasses, and scanned her face with a tech. Barely acknowledging Lena's existence, he then returned beside the other man as they looked over the scan, whispering to each other. Kara figured they must know that she could hear them talking about her passing the facial scan; so she didn't know why they didn't just come right out and state so. They looked back at her expectantly. Kara knew this was her cue to display an ability. Carefully, she lowered herself to the ground and punched a hole through the cement. The men looked to each other and nodded, and then she was led through the gates, which opened up after one of the men signaled to someone who was apparently watching them.

They were led through the dark community, which Kara couldn't make much of, until they reached an individual house. The men nodded toward the house, making no attempt at verbal communication, and one of them gave her a card. Kara recognized it as a key card.

As the men left, she didn't waste any time carrying Lena inside. In contrast to the dark outside, it was well-lit. It was also well-furnished, but was more of a traditional house than anything high-tech. Kara settled Lena into one of the chairs in the living room. The brunette had began shivering as though cold. "Wait here," Kara told her. "And don't wander off again." She moved to the bathroom, where she located a rack of towels. Passing the air conditioner on her way back to Lena, she almost registered surprise that the place had one, but she remembered what Winn had achieved with others in only two or three years. She wiped at her now watering eyes, taking off her broken glasses and setting them on a hallway table, before turning the air conditioner to the heat option and returning to Lena to cover the woman with some towels.

She wrapped a few towels around Lena's shoulders and draped the extra ones across the brunette's chest. A cold, damp towel was used to treat the woman's slightly burned skin. Feeling that this wasn't working as well as she had hoped, considering that Lena was still shivering with eyes closed and Kara would at least need to locate some aloe vera or soy to help alleviate the pale skin, Kara hauled Lena up from the chair. They progressed clumsily through the house and began to climb the stairs. After ascending a number of steps, she tripped over her own feet, and lost her grip on Lena. She fell belly-down several steps, bumping painfully along the sides. It was a moment of total ruin as Lena stumbled after her. Kara grit her teeth as she found herself beneath the woman near the bottom of the stairs. She twisted out from under the brunette and held her carefully as more unintelligible words fell from the worried lips. "Clearly, you like to be carried," Kara released a sigh of frustration, despite the fact that their current predicament had been the result of her own clumsiness.

She scooped the woman up in her arms and hastily made her way up the steps. She headed to one of the three available rooms at the top, choosing the one toward the end of the hall. Moonlight brightened the area, and Kara easily spotted the bed. She pulled back the covers and let Lena fall back against it, checking Lena's temperature with her hand and seeing that all seemed okay. She took off Lena's boots, pulled the covers over the brunette and watched as the woman cooed against the pillows peacefully.

Kara left the room, closing the door softly behind her. As she did, she felt her demeanor crumble and she slid to the floor with a muffled cry. Taking care of Lena for the rest of the day had kept her mind preoccupied. But now the reality of everything, the loss of her sister, was crashing against her. Crashing like a wave begging her to drown.

* * *

 

Kara let the steaming shower take her elsewhere. It took her fatigue and transformed it into a languid half stupor. She latched onto the scented soap and lathered her body and hair. She was numb to everything here in this shower, temporarily shielded from the world and the duty of saving it. _Saving it_? she thought bitterly. She couldn't even save her team. If only she had used her powers from the beginning, they'd all be alive now.

With a strained sigh, she leaned her head forward against the wall and watched a fly buzz around the light on the ceiling. She felt like an empty shell, drained of strength and of grief. She didn't know how long she had been crying in this bland space, but she remembered that time in this world was relative. What the next day would bring was something she couldn't even begin to fathom.

Her thoughts got the better of her, though, constructing a fairy tale narrative. A prosperous, lively world where no war existed. Alex, Maggie, Winn, James and Cat sat with her at a long kitchen table. Lena interlaced her fingers with her own.

Kara shook her head and turned off the shower. She hadn't known these people for long. Only Alex. And Lena was no one to her even now.

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself roughly, throwing on a loose-fitting T-shirt and cotton pants she acquired from the room she chose as her bedroom. Making her way back to said bedroom, after cutting off the heat, she heard a muffled thump and a rolling sound coming from Lena's room. Faint sounds of movement and a curse from a feminine voice followed.

Putting a hand to her head in exasperation, Kara made her way to the room and flipped on the light. Lena was no longer in her nearly vegetative state, but was standing by the bed, running a hand through her long, dark hair. A nearby lamp had been knocked over, no doubt by accident.

Lena became aware of Kara, who remained standing in the doorway. Her mind felt languid and she could find no reason for her presence in an odd bedroom as the reddened eyes — those sad eyes — bore into her from across the room. The light flickered off, and the blonde tried to no avail to turn it back on.

Lena's situation struck her as opportunistic, but that was honestly the last thing on her mind. She simply wanted the pained expression on the other woman's face to go away, and she only knew of one way of achieving this.

"Kara..."

The blonde stood still as Lena walked to her. "Ar- Are you okay?" Kara asked.

"I am, but you're not?" Lena pushed a strand of Kara's hair behind her ear. Alex had died, she recalled. That's why Kara had been crying. She pulled the blonde into a reluctant, awkward hug and breathed in the fresh bath scent.

Kara shivered. What was this feeling she always had around Lena? Why did the woman always invade her personal space? She meant to ponder these questions until she felt a warm pair of lips on her neck. Lena was nibbling there. Caressing with a pillowy soft touch. It sent light shockwaves throughout Kara's body, and her breathing became labored. She needed to push Lena away, but her strength was failing her. "Len-- Lena."

"Mm?" Lena breathed, humming against her throat, finding her pressure point a second later. "Let me, Kara." She released Kara's throat and stared into her eyes, cupping her face gently. "Let me hold you for just a bit?"

Kara could only see adoration in those eyes. And it scared her. It scared her, but it was also soothing. She nodded and let Lena lead her to the bed. She had expected Lena to undress her, that she would undress Lena. That sex was the inevitable course this night. But, instead, Lena pulled her into bed and cuddled her, wrapping protective arms around her middle and leaving unbelievably soft kisses along her cheek, her ear, her throat.

Kara had only experienced sex once, when she was 20. This was more erotic than sex. It was more intimate than kissing on the lips.

And it was just enough to take Kara away from this godforsaken reality.

 

 


End file.
